Petaluma middle school decides girls’ leggings must be covered

Teens at a middle school in Petaluma, Calif., can now only wear leggings if they’re covered with a garment such as shorts or a skirt. (Getty)

How tight is too tight for school? Administrators and teachers at a middle school in Petaluma, Calif., are asking themselves this question as they implement a new dress code policy around girls’ form-fitting pants.

Kenilworth Junior High has been making national news for prohibiting girls from wearing tight-fitting pants because they’re “distracting to teenage boys,” according to KTVU-TV.

Last Thursday, April 4, all the girls at Kenilworth Junior High were told to skip the last period of the day and instead report to a multi-use room where an administrator expressed concern over the tight-fitting pants female students were wearing to school, according to KTVU-TV. They were reportedly told that they would be sent home if they wore form-fitting pants.

Many students were frustrated and left thinking they could no longer wear the popular skinny jeans, yoga pants or leggings to school. “It takes away like half of my clothes because I have a lot of yoga pants and leggings, so everyone’s kind of like mad about it,” Makenna Mattei told KTVU.

“We didn’t think it was fair how we have all these restrictions on our clothing while boys didn’t have to sit through it at all,” Brittany Kruljack chimed in.

Parents were equally baffled by the new rule. “It is not our girls’ fault that these boys have quote ‘raging hormones’ they can’t control,” Lisa Simond, a parent at Kenilworth, told KTVU.

After the KTVU segment ran on Friday, April 5, news outlets across the country picked up the story and a string of mom bloggers wrote posts declaring the dress code ridiculous. And over at Cafe Mom Jeanne Sager shared her outrage over the school banning tight pants because they’re distracting to boys.

“You’ll have to pardon me for thinking here (after all, I’m just a girl, what do I know?), but wouldn’t it be a whole lot easier to sit the boys down for a talk and tell them to cool it?” Sager wrote. “Not only would it save the parents of every girl in the district from having to revamp their kids’ wardrobes, but it would prepare the boys for what will happen whenthey walk out into a dress code-free world where women walk around flaunting bare ankles and even, gulp, showing their knees!”

On Friday night, Kenilworth administrators issued a statement to its families:

With warmer weather and the arrival of Spring the bounds of the dress code were being tested. We had an assembly yesterday with our female students to discuss this issue based on input from staff and the rest of the Administration. The intent of yesterday’s message was to maintain a calm and focused environment for the remainder of the school year.

In my efforts to achieve this goal some of my statements went farther than they should have. We issued a clarification to parents and students that there has been no change in the dress code. We continue to prefer students to dress as if this were a business environment and they were coming to work. The guiding principle in all dress codes is that the manner in which students dress does not become a distraction in the learning environment and we get that guidance from California Education Code.

Kenilworth principal Kathy Olmsted clarified with SFGate that only leggings with no covering such as a skirt or shorts are banned. Skinny jeans and yoga pants are still allowed. (One Kenilworth student said to SFGate that that the girls were originally told that all tight pants are banned, but the school changed its policy after the outcry from students and parents and media attention.)

“The concern my staff and I have is basically seeing underwear,” Kenilworth principal Emily Dunnagan told Inquisitr.com. “With girls, leggings can be very, very thin, and leggings are fine as long as there is something over the top of them. We want to keep the learning environment distraction-free.”

Olmsted says the school decided to meet with the girls because several teachers had complained that female students were wearing leggings that revealed their undergarments.

Olmsted was surprised by the media attention her school was getting but she said, “I think it’s leading us to have an important discussion over what clothing is appropriate for kids to wear to school.”

Schools across the country have made news headlines for introducing dress codes. Here’s a look at some of those stories.

Photo: erics / Shutterstock

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SKIMPY CLOTHING. When Stuyvesant High School, one of NYC's most prestigious public schools, introduced a new dress code banning skimpy clothing in 2012, students protested with "Slutty Wednesday" and wore short-shorts and spaghetti strap tops, according to the NY Times. less

SKIMPY CLOTHING. When Stuyvesant High School, one of NYC's most prestigious public schools, introduced a new dress code banning skimpy clothing in 2012, students protested with "Slutty Wednesday" and wore ... more

Photo: erics / Shutterstock

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RIPPED JEANS. In 2012, a Pennsylvania high school decided clothing with holes or tears isn’t proper attire for school because some students were ripping large holes in their pants and exposing their genitals. Full story.
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RIPPED JEANS. In 2012, a Pennsylvania high school decided clothing with holes or tears isn’t proper attire for school because some students were ripping large holes in their pants and exposing their ... more

Photo: Simone Andress / Shutterstock

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LONG HAIR. In 2009, in Mesquite, Tex., a 4-year-old kindergartener was suspended for having long locks, reports the Huffington Post. When Taylor Pugh's parents refused to cut their son's hair, the boy wasn't allowed in the classroom and did his work in the hallway. less

LONG HAIR. In 2009, in Mesquite, Tex., a 4-year-old kindergartener was suspended for having long locks, reports the Huffington Post. When Taylor Pugh's parents refused to cut their son's hair, the boy wasn't ... more

Photo: Ben Torres, Dallas Morning News / SF

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UGG BOOTS. Pottsdam Middle School in Pennsylvania banned the sheepskin-lined boots in 2012 because students were stuffing their cell phones in them and secretly texting in class.
Full story.

UGG BOOTS. Pottsdam Middle School in Pennsylvania banned the sheepskin-lined boots in 2012 because students were stuffing their cell phones in them and secretly texting in class.
Full story.

Photo: Ugg

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CHEERLEADER SKIRTS. When cheerleaders at San Jose's Piedmont Hills High School switched to a uniform with mini skirts above the mid-thigh, school officials decided the skirts could only be worn at games--not around school. Full story. less

CHEERLEADER SKIRTS. When cheerleaders at San Jose's Piedmont Hills High School switched to a uniform with mini skirts above the mid-thigh, school officials decided the skirts could only be worn at games--not ... more

Photo: aceshot1 / Shutterstock

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TIGHT CLOTHING. A principal at a high school in Washington made Promise Hammond wear a coat to cover her tight dress (pictured left) at a dance, according to KIRO-TV. When Hammond's mother went to the school to complain that her daughter was singled out and many dresses at the dance were tight, she was arrested. less

TIGHT CLOTHING. A principal at a high school in Washington made Promise Hammond wear a coat to cover her tight dress (pictured left) at a dance, according to KIRO-TV. When Hammond's mother went to the school ... more

Photo: KIRO-TV

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CROSS-DRESSING: Jonathan Escobar made headlines in 2009 when he withdrew from the Atlanta area's North Cobb High School after school officials said he would have to start dressing more "manly" or be home-schooled. Escobar told the Atlanta Journal Constitution: "If I can't express myself, I won't go to school. I want to get the message out there that because this is who I am, I can't get an education." less

CROSS-DRESSING: Jonathan Escobar made headlines in 2009 when he withdrew from the Atlanta area's North Cobb High School after school officials said he would have to start dressing more "manly" or be ... more

Photo: AP

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BEDROOM SLIPPERS. Many school districts, such as Perquimans County Schools in North Carolina, won't allow kids to scuffle around school in fuzzy slippers, reports the Daily Advance. Schools also commonly forbid pajamas. less

BEDROOM SLIPPERS. Many school districts, such as Perquimans County Schools in North Carolina, won't allow kids to scuffle around school in fuzzy slippers, reports the Daily Advance. Schools also commonly ... more

Photo: photosync / Shutterstock

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PROPER PROM ATTIRE. Many high schools are now creating detailed PowerPoint presentations, like the one above from a school in Sunnyvale, Tex., to show students what they can and can't wear to prom, reports Yahoo Shine. For example, girls' midriffs can't be exposed and no baggy jeans for boys. less

PROPER PROM ATTIRE. Many high schools are now creating detailed PowerPoint presentations, like the one above from a school in Sunnyvale, Tex., to show students what they can and can't wear to prom, reports ... more

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OUT-OF-STATE T-SHIRTS: In 2012, Cooper Barton, 5, was asked to turn his University of Michigan T-shirt inside-out. The dress code for Oklahoma City Public Schools allows students to wear only Oklahoma college apparel, according to News 9. less

OUT-OF-STATE T-SHIRTS: In 2012, Cooper Barton, 5, was asked to turn his University of Michigan T-shirt inside-out. The dress code for Oklahoma City Public Schools allows students to wear only Oklahoma college ... more

Photo: News 9

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SKINNY JEANS. The Meriden School Board of Education in Connecticut considered a ban on tight-fitting pants in 2012, but decided to not move forward as teachers argued the dress code policy would be too difficult to enforce. less

SKINNY JEANS. The Meriden School Board of Education in Connecticut considered a ban on tight-fitting pants in 2012, but decided to not move forward as teachers argued the dress code policy would be too ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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LEGGINGS. A high school in Petaluma, Calif., told girls that leggings must be covered with other clothing such as skirts or shorts in 2013. (Getty)

LEGGINGS. A high school in Petaluma, Calif., told girls that leggings must be covered with other clothing such as skirts or shorts in 2013. (Getty)

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STRAPLESS DRESSES. At the eighth grade dance girls dresses must have straps because bare shoulders are "distracting to boys," said a principal at a New Jersey middle school in 2013. (Getty)

STRAPLESS DRESSES. At the eighth grade dance girls dresses must have straps because bare shoulders are "distracting to boys," said a principal at a New Jersey middle school in 2013. (Getty)